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Minneapolis replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota's largest city will honor American Indians, not Christopher Columbus, on the second day of October.

The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Betsy Hodges on Friday unanimously approved a resolution making the change.

The new holiday will be known as Indigenous Peoples Day beginning this year.

Minneapolis has observed the federal Columbus Day holiday.

“This act recognizes and celebrates the native people who still live on this land and will foster stronger relationships moving forward,” Hodges said. “I am grateful to the community for organizing to make this a reality and am honored to sign this resolution, something I promised last summer I would.”

The concept of Indigenous Peoples Day has been around since at least 1977. Since then, several American cities have adopted the holiday in various forms.

“The American Indian community is so important to our city, and I’m glad to see the city and community working so closely together,” City Council President Barb Johnson said.

The resolution encourages businesses, organizations and other public entities to observe the new holiday.

It reads, in part: “The city of Minneapolis shall continue its efforts to promote the well-being and growth of the Minneapolis American Indian and Indigenous community. … Indigenous Peoples Day shall be used to reflect upon the ongoing struggles of Indigenous people on this land, and to celebrate the thriving culture and value that Dakota, Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations add to our city.”

The resolution's author, City Council member Alondra Cano, said that it has "been a long time coming." However, Cano added, the vote means the city is advancing racial equality.

Cano represents a rare urban area with a high Indian population, with members of many rural Minnesota tribes.

The American Indian Movement that began in 1960s came about in south Minneapolis.

Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1937 to celebrate his arrival in the Americas on Oct. 12, 1492.

Berkeley, Calif., and Denver were among the first cities to honor the Indian. South Dakota is among states to change the October holiday from honoring Columbus to honoring Indians.

The Red Wing, Minn., City Council is considering taking action similar to Friday's Minneapolis resolution.

Don Davis has been the Forum Communications Minnesota Capitol Bureau chief since 2001, covering state government and politics for two dozen newspapers in the state. Don also blogs at Capital Chatter on Areavoices.